


Falling from Grace (Nixriel)

by Anonymous5321



Category: Brawlhalla (Video Game)
Genre: Adventure & Romance, Canon-Typical Violence, Fluff, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Mild Language, Non-Graphic Violence, Other, Sharing a Bed, Slow Burn, Some Humor
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-06
Updated: 2020-12-21
Packaged: 2021-03-08 07:28:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 6,699
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26848189
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Anonymous5321/pseuds/Anonymous5321
Summary: Zariel was sent to Valhalla to investigate Odin's army, however, a wrench was thrown into their plans when Nix decides to take the angel on a dangerous adventure to capture the extreme and destructive Petra and bring her back to Terminous where she belongs. Little do the duo know that they were practically meant to be...
Relationships: Nix & Zariel
Comments: 3
Kudos: 5





	1. Prologue

It was almost like when Orion arrived in Valhalla. Almost, but not quite. It was similar in how the new stranger landed on the grounds of Asgard, and several legends gathered around to see what was going on. However, this angelic entity seemed to have came here on purpose, with unknown intent. Unlike Orion, who fell into Asgard in a blaze of fire, without any explanation. This legend is different, they are here for a reason, on the orders of Paladium, a god who is an infamous rival to Odin. They were here to investigate Odin's army and find out its weaknesses. Their name is Zariel.

Zariel's presence in Valhalla brought mixed feelings to the other legends, but they were welcomed anyway. One day, when Zariel was making their way to the arena to spectate an ongoing battle, a mysterious person got in their way. The figure was dressed in mostly dark violet and gray, with a hood covering most of their head. However, some light purple hair stuck out of the mouth of hood. The hair seemed to be a much darker shade near the roots, and it left their eyes in a shroud of darkness. When the figure walked closer, Zariel could see this person's bright, almost glowing, magenta eyes. The angel felt as if this entity can see into their soul, learn their intentions, and ruin their entire mission. Zariel suddenly felt uneasy, with their normally calm, collected demeanor almost giving way to the figure's menacing aura. "You're new here, aren't you?", the figure spoke, their voice sounded like some sort of ghostly woman, then the figure took off their hood, revealing more of their face.

The figure looked at Zariel, reading their unstable coolness, knowing it will all come crumbling down at any moment. "The name's Nix, and you are?", the figure asked. Zariel tried to keep their words as steady as possible, "You can refer to me as Zariel.", they sounded much calmer than they actually were. Nix held out a hand, presumably to shake hands with Zariel. They refused, not wanting to accidentally give away their own soul or something like that. Nix shrugged with a smirk, "Have you seen any Aztec gods running loose? I'm supposed to collect them all and take them to their final resting place. They've been long overdue for death since the ending of the Jaguar Kingdom.", she explained. Zariel did see the late queen of the Jaguar Kingdom in Valhalla, but they didn't see any gods, even though Queen Nai appeared to wield the powers of a god. "No, I have not. However, I have met the Jaguar queen, if that is of any help." Zariel answered. Nix sighed and mumbled under her breath "That'll have to wait, I guess.", Zariel started to think about what she meant(yes, Nix is female), then quickly realizing that she's a reaper, with the goal, and possibly the power, to reap gods. "Anyway," Nix stated, "There's something else I should do, and it's clearly more . . . urgent.". Zariel asked what it was and Nix replied with "It's Petra, she's a powerful criminal who wields the power of darkheart, an unstable and uncontrollable ore. She must must be stopped as quickly as possible, before she takes over Asgard, or worse.", by the sound of it, Petra seems like a real threat, especially since she can destroy Esylum after she's done with Valhalla.

Zariel decided that it might be a good idea to rid the danger that is Petra rather than risk leaving her to her own devices, especially if those metaphorical devices include immense power from the infamous darkheart. "So you are asking for my assistance?", the angel asked. Nix replied with "I'll think about it.". With that, the two parted ways, with Zariel heading towards the arena, since the fight there was hopefully still going on, and to their relief, it was. The battle was a one-on-one, with Val against Mirage. Both legends were on their last stock when Zariel got there, but Mirage appeared to be on the ropes, but she still looked confident in this battle, taunting playfully at the android to come at her. Val started to get annoyed and leaped towards Mirage to swing at the duneweaver with her sword. Mirage reacted quickly enough to dodge out of the way and used her scythe to counterattack the android. She hooked Val in with her scythe and turned around, she then kicked Val off of the blade of her scythe and with one final slash, she sent the killbot flying across the stage. Val was launched too far to make it back on stage, and she fell into darkness below. Mirage was deemed victorious, she cheered in triumph and leaped onto her floating sidekick, a valkri-MK1, and rode it off of the stage and onto a landing bay above. The crowds were cheering the entire time, filling the arena with deafening noise. Those cheers were now dying down from the match ending. Zariel was observing the whole thing closely, imagining what kind of actions they would have taken if they were in Val or Mirage's shoes. They left the arena and was met by Val, who was clearly upset at her very recent defeat. The android glared at Zariel, "What do you want?", she spat. Zariel thought that Val would like some advice for her next fight, "If you didn't just jump in to attack and actually put thought into how you approach your opponent, it would have been very likely that you wou-", Val slapped Zariel in the face, not being in the mood for combat lessons from a teal-haired angel. "I don't need your help OR sympathy!", she snapped. Zariel took it as a sign to go away, so they did, leaving Val to calm down. That slap didn't hurt Zariel physically, at least not for long; They're magical body was resistant to damage, and the slap wasn't exactly like being impaled by some sort of dark weapon, however, they felt somewhat unwanted by Val because of how she rejected Zariel's word of advice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is my first attempt at writing fanfiction, so it isn't perfect. The writing is little slow, but I intend to finish this!


	2. Call to Action

The very next day, Zariel heard a knock on the door of their residence when reading a historical non-fiction book about the advancements that the asgardian gods have made throughout the centuries. They answered the door to find a distressed Nix, who was holding a blaster that appeared to have had the front part broken off, with a dark smoke flowing through the broken part like a mist. The reaper stared at Zariel with a look of shock. "It's Petra. She's becoming too powerful. I tried to collect her, but it was like her soul was immune to my reaping magic. The darkheart seems to be taking over her body, and now...", Nix couldn't find the words to say. Her fear of failing as a psychopomp was eating at her. Zariel's brow furrowed, wondering if Nix really needed or wanted any help. Nix then sighed, as much as she wanted to do this alone, there was a danger out there that was too efficacious to take on alone. "Do you remember when you asked me whether I needed your help with Petra, and I said that I would think about it?", she queried. "Yes, I remember asking that.", Zariel responded. The reaper then looked down, swallowed her pride, and said "Yes, I think I need your help on this one.", she peered back up at at the angel's countenance. The look of an androgynous warrior who's ready to strike at any given second, a strong celestial being that looks like they can take on anything, perfect for disposing of a certain darkheart criminal.

"What is your plan, Nix?", Zariel's question snapped the reaper out of her thoughts, "W-what did ya say?"; She clearly wasn't listening. The angel sighed and requested, "How do you plan on stopping Petra?". "Actually, I didn't plan on needing assistance.", Nix quietly confessed, then Zariel assured her, "You have no need to be ashamed. Everyone requires a helping hand from time to time, even a psychopomp as skilled as yourself.". Nix nodded in response and got back to thinking about how she will catch Petra and send her back to Terminous, well mostly that. She was also thinking about how Zariel looked kind of hot. No, no, this can't be, Nix thought to herself. Sure, they were nice to look at, but she barely knew the angel, she couldn't possibly be attracted to someone she just met recently. These feelings might have surfaced just because she's been touch-starved for thousands of years. Nix decided to bury those feelings in the back of her mind, because she had bigger fish to fry than a silly, almost childish thing like a crush.

Eventually, the duo arrived at the Valhalla archives, where they might find a weakness of darkheart. Nix started to look for a book that covered the topic of such dark magic, while Zariel found a hooded elf ranger, who looked a little sad. The angel sat down next to the elf, which got her attention. "Hey, I'm Ember, the Fangwild's daughter. You're Zariel. Right?", the ranger mumbled. Word about Zariel's arrival to Valhalla must have really got out if a random warrior around here knows their name and face. "Yes, I am. How did you know?", they stated, and Ember answered with "I've heard about you, ever since you won your first battle in the tournament, the others kept on blabbering about how you might be the best fighter Valhalla has ever seen.". Zariel raised an eye brow. Is their fighting skill really that impressive? When Nix has found the book that the duo needed, she saw Zariel talking with Ember at one of the tables. She started to listen to their conversation, and it was fine at first. Ember was explaining how she was just trying to return to the Fangwild, and Zariel was just listening to understand. Then the angel appeared to try and comfort Ember, who was clearly in a blue mood, by holding her hand. They probably didn't know what else to do, but it made the elf feel a little better. "You will see your home forest again eventually, I believe in you.", Zariel assured Ember. She started to smile a bit and thanked them for listening to her tale of misfortune and hugged them. This made Nix's feelings for Zariel resurface and now she felt an irrational jealousy for Ember. She didn't take another step forward until Ember left, not wanting her emotions to suddenly get the best of her and do any unnecessary harm to the ranger. After Ember got up and exited the archives, Nix sat down next to Zariel, placing the book in front of her self. She flipped through the pages in an attempt to get her crush off of her mind. 'They're attractive _and_ a good listener?', she thought, maybe once Nix knows Zariel a little better, it might not be such a big deal, but one thing was for certain; This was going to be a long mission.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, it's going to take a bit of time before the two start kissing, but to be honest, I kind of want to make this a slow burn type of fic.


	3. Mutual feelings

When the duo finally found a flaw to darkheart, being severely weakened in power by holy energy, Nix was somewhat relieved to know it. The ideal tool to stopping Petra was right next to her. Zariel had just the right powers to weaken the criminal and let Nix do the rest. It was a great plan, in which the duo agreed to carry out, after refining it with more detail on how to find Petra and what to do if the plan ever goes wrong first. While the two legends were doing just that, Zariel started to get a new feeling for Nix. Seeing her determination to get the job done, her wit and cunning, and not to mention how she seems. . . prettier than other reapers? The angel had never given romance much of a thought, but now they started to get curious. What is it like to have a lover? They thought to themselves. Now thinking more into this, Zariel started to get a little embarrassed. It's not the norm for angels to just fall in love, let alone with a reaper! Zariel's thoughts were now everywhere but whatever Nix was discussing. Finally, she snaps the angel out of their very much derailed train of thought by saying, "Hey, Zariel. Are you even listening?". This embarrassed them even further, causing their face to take on a reddish tint. "Oh! I understand the plan completely, Nix.", fortunately, they were telling the truth. The plan was simple, really. Ask Brynn where Petra is, since she'll likely know. Use Zariel's celestial powers to reduce the strength of Petra's darkheart. Take her back to Terminous, then they'll part ways.

The only problem with the plan is that secretly, neither of them wanted to split up, at least not forever. However, neither of them know about the other's crush on them, so they both believe that there would be no hard feelings. Since of course, who would ever believe that the person they were crushing on would share the same feelings as them. Crushes rarely love you back, anyway. This was one of those rare times where this happens, actually. The two were in love with each and they didn't even know that the feeling was mutual. Nix put the book back and beckoned Zariel to follow her out of the Archives. The two of them were going to the arena, where Brynn was scheduled to fight Onyx. When they got there, the battle was about to begin. The seats were crowded and the air filled with the sounds of people being extremely hyped up and placing bets on who will win, but the contenders of this match were evenly skilled, so really it was anyone's match. As Onyx and Brynn were riding their robot sidekicks, Zariel and Nix sat down next to each other, with their hands almost touching. Throughout the first half of the battle had, Nix had a nagging urge to hold Zariel's hand, and she eventually gave in and placed her hand on the angel's. The thing that surprised her was that Zariel didn't pull their hand away. They must have liked this, or they were just focusing hard on the battle for some reason. 

For the majority of the match, Brynn and Onyx were evenly matched, but then the half-valkyrie picked up her axe, knocked the cannon out of Onyx's hands, and won the match. The crowds' cheers were deafening as Brynn celebrated her victory. If it weren't for the task at hand, Zariel would have stayed in the arena to spar with Diana, but that would have to wait for another day. Nix and Zariel went to the entrance of the arena to meet up with Brynn, where she was on her way to celebrate her victory with Val and Kaya. The reaper blocked Brynn's way and asked "Where is Petra?", her voice grim and intimidating. The half-valkyrie was startled at the sight of Nix, and stumbled back a bit, breathing heavily. "Nix!? You almost gave me a heart attack! Why are here anyway?" Brynn questioned while trying to calm herself down. Zariel stepped in and explained what the duo were doing. Brynn's breathing steadied and she started to frown. The look on her face couldn't mean anything good, then she said "It's my fault, isn't it? I pulled Petra out of Terminous because I. . . thought that she was a fitting warrior for Valhalla. I guess I didn't think of the possible consequences.", then Zariel and Nix looked at each other. That explains how Petra ended up in Valhalla, but where in this afterlife exactly? Brynn sighed and finally answered "The most likely place you'll find her at this time of day is the bar. Be careful of who you bump into, because you might not want Petra to join in on a random bar fight." and with that, the two thanked Brynn and made their way to the bar. Zariel never went there before, and Nix isn't the type of person to go to bars, so it was a first for the both of them. Upon entering, they could see many legends hanging out and having a good time, sharing stories of their victories in life and in Valhalla, throwing darts, and of course most of the legends there were drinking, including Petra. Thankfully, they were all limiting their intake so that no accidental bar fights would break out. 

Nix tapped on Zariel's shoulder to get their attention and pointed out where Petra was sitting, then the two walked up to the Darkheart fighter, who was talking to Dusk and Xull. Nix stood right behind Petra and inquired "Can we have a chat, Petra?" the Darkheart turned around and looked Nix up and down, which made Zariel a little tense. "Heh, what about? Battle? The darkheart ore? Wait. Is that Zariel? Hey! Wanna fight?" Petra was clearly distracted by Zariel to talk to Nix. The reaper silently mouthed to the angel to convince Petra to be alone with the duo so that the plan can move forward. Zariel nodded while Xull and Dusk started to exchange looks, both being unsure of what Petra will do next. "Very well. We will battle at Brawlhaven. I expect you to not be late." Zariel informed. Now excited for a good fight, Petra downed the last of what was in her mug and slammed a gold coin onto the counter. "Looks like I get to pummel the crap out of the so called 'new best warrior in Valhalla'! Later, NERDS!" Petra boasted as she left. Zariel sighed and looked at Nix, who tried to assure them by patting them on the shoulder. "You'll win that fight, Zariel. I believe in you.".

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ooh, looks like a real battle is going to begin! Who will come victorious? Will the duo bring Petra to Terminous? Find out in the next chapter!


	4. An Unexpected Setback

Nix and Zariel met up with Petra at Brawlhaven as promised, and Petra raised an eyebrow when she saw them walking so close together. "Heh, are you guys in love or something~?" The darkheart fighter teased, "does Nix want to kiss you good luck before the battle, Zariel?". The both of them flushed and looked away, then Zariel gathered the courage to respond, "Do you wish to fight or not?". Petra shrugged and Zariel joined her onto the battlefield as Nix spectated from the sidelines. The reaper counted down after Petra and Zariel got to opposite sides of the stage. "Three, two...one." She was rather worried about how Zariel might lose the fight and the plan will be derailed, and she also didn't want to see the celestial get hurt. Petra was a tough opponent after all. Why am I worrying about Zariel? She thought to herself. "Hey! When are we starting? I'm getting impatient here!" Petra yelled, and with that, Nix summoned a blaster out of dark purple smoke, and fired a round into the air, signaling the battle to begin. 

Zariel was able to grab their bow before Petra got a weapon and got some good hits on her. Petra scoffed and grabbed her orb, "Not bad, angel. Maybe we can join the 2v2 tournament sometime? We could be unstoppable!" Petra's comment made Nix somewhat uncomfortable, and she thought for a moment that Petra was flirting with Zariel, then she tried to shake away those thoughts and see how the fight shaping up. Petra knocked Zariel's bow out of their hands, but they were able to grab their gauntlets and get back in the fight. "Gauntlets against gauntlets? Sounds like fun!" Petra threw her orb to the side and equipped her own gauntlets. The two clashed fists several times, with the sound waves caused by the collisions booming throughout the entire field. Just when Zariel appeared to be winning, Petra sweeped the angel's legs and pinned them to the ground. Zariel grunted as they hit the dirt. Petra loomed over the incapacitated celestial and snickered. "Heh heh, I knew you were being used as a tool by Nix to put me back in Terminous. I ain't that stupid. Hey, Nix! This tool of yours won't help you catch me!" And what Petra did next made Nix's heart drop. The darkheart delinquent stabbed Zariel's side with the claws of her darkheart infected arm. Zariel yelled at the feeling of the unstable energy entering their wound and flowing through their body. The cries from them made Nix start to sob. She couldn't stand seeing or hearing Zariel suffer. Petra guffawed, not seeing Nix run at her with her scythe and tears running down her face. "ZARIEL IS NOT A TOOL! HOW CAN YOU SAY THAT?!" Nix shouted in despair. Petra smirked and teleported away right before Nix could slash her into ribbons. Nix dropped to ground on her knees and cried. Did Petra know that Nix actually cared about Zariel? She wiped the tears from her eyes and crawled towards the weakened angel to try and comfort them. Zariel groaned in pain, gripping at their wound, but then they saw Nix sitting right next to them.

The reaper looked down at Zariel, who was looking right back at her. Zariel managed to say something despite the pain, "Nix? I'm so sorry. I failed. You p-probably don't want to see me again." They groaned. Nix couldn't believe what Zariel just said. "Zariel! I'm not going to dislike you just because you made a mistake! I was crying when Petra clawed you! Because I care about you!" Nix could feel her pale face flush red when she realized what she just said. Zariel blushed a little when they heard that, and asked, "So you still want me to help you recapture Petra?" "Of course, Zariel! And now I know what to do." Nix helped Zariel get up off the ground and let them lean onto her a little, then the two made their way to Nix's place. The whole abode was in a gothic aesthetic and a lot of the furniture had some dust on it. It was pretty clear that the reaper spent most of her time out, handling pshycopomping business and battling in the tournament. The bedroom, however, was quite well kept, with the bed being made and some clothes that were neatly folded resting on top of a dark wooden dresser. Nix guided Zariel to sit on the bed, then she told them to stay put while Nix got the first-aid kit that was in her bathroom. During the few minutes it took for Nix to get the first-aid kit, Zariel laid on the unscratched side of their body and felt the plush cover underneath them. Nix walked in with the kit along with two towels; One was wet and the other was dry. Zariel sat up and sighed, "I believe that the first-aid is unnecessary. I have regenerative powers." Nix raised an eyebrow and looked at Zariel's injury, which appeared to have taken on a purple shade. "The darkheart must be infecting you. We'll have to see Fait about that tomorrow." "Why not now?" "She's busy doing nightly witch things or whatever. It's getting late anyway, so I'll let you crash here for tonight." Nix used the wet towel to clean off Zariel's wound, which made the celestial shiver, then she dried it off with the dry towel and dressed it. It may not have been the most effective thing to do about the darkheart infection, but it was a little better than nothing at least. 

Nix let Zariel stay in her bed for the night, since it was much more comfortable than the couch, which Nix refused to sleep on, but she was so tired, that she couldn't help but sneak into the bed after Zariel fell asleep. She tried not to toss and turn in bed as she usually did before sleeping to avoid waking the sleeping angel, but what they did unconsciously surprised Nix. Zariel hugged Nix in their sleep! The reaper couldn't understand why they would do this, but she loved being in their warm embrace, anyway. She let her drowsiness take hold of her mind, drifting off into the dream realm, cuddling into Zariel's chest. In Nix's dream, she saw a beautiful flower garden, with roses, tulips, and peonies. The garden had cobblestone pathways lined with a short, wooden fence that was made of sticks tied together with old yarn. The center of the garden sat a mighty fountain, pouring crystal clear water from the mouths of stone swans and into the shallow pool underneath. The night sky was lit up with shining stars and bright moonlight. Overall, the setting was quite romantic. Nix looked at her reflection in the fountain's pool, and she was surprised to see a well groomed, formally dressed woman looking right back at her. Nix was dolled with a dark violet lipstick, pink blush, and black eyeliner that complimented her magenta eyes well. She was wearing a black and twilight blue gown that went all the way down her feet, which were decorated by matching flats, lined with black diamonds. Her hair was tied up in a bun, and this whole assemble made her look like a queen of darkness. The garden was relatively quiet apart from the banter coming from the party going on in the manor that the garden was attached to, and then Nix picked up a new sound, footsteps on the cobblestones coming closer and closer. Nix glanced towards the direction the footsteps were coming from, and she saw a very majestic Zariel, who was wearing white and gold attire topped off with a top hat with a curved brim, and their eyes were outlined by a midnight colored mask, which gave their look a sense of mystery. They held their hand out to Nix, and asked "Would you care to dance with me?" She gladly takes their hand and follows them to into the manor and into an empty hall. A glistening chandelier hung from the high ceiling, that was covered in paintings of clouds and cherubs. Music could be heard from the main ballroom, and the two danced to that soothing rhythm.

Nix enjoyed dancing in Zariel's arms, and then the two looked into each other's eyes, taking delight in the wonderful moment. Suddenly, Zariel pulled away from Nix's touch, "Zariel, why are you-" the celestial did not answer and mysteriously vanished into thin air. Nix couldn't wrap her head around what had just happened, until she awoke from her dream. She gasped and looked around her room, and saw Zariel sitting at the foot of the bed, staring at the window. Nix sat up and asked Zariel what they were doing, and the celestial sighed. "You know that angelic beings like myself do not require sleep, right?" Nix shrugged; reapers don't need sleep either, but she does it anyway because it makes her still feel human. . . "Well, it's still looks dark out. Do you wanna see the stars?" Nix suggested, and to her surprise, Zariel accepted the offer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well the battle didn't go as planned, but at least Zariel is still in one piece, right? I bet you didn't expect hurt/comfort in a fanfiction about a reaper and an angel hunting down a superpowered fighter! Get ready for some fluff in the next chapter!


	5. Change of Plans

Nix helped Zariel climb up onto the roof to get the best view of the stars. The two sat unexpectedly close together, but neither of them minded it. Zariel looked up to the Twilight sky, their eyes widening with awe when they saw the majestic scene that was unfamiliar to them. They never really cared about looking up to the sky to look for stars or clouds or anything of that sort. Nix pointed out one of the constellations and said "Artemis told me about some of the constellations that can be seen in Valhalla. That one's the Big Dipper, I think." Zariel was impressed by how the stars not only shined with beauty but also appeared in interesting patterns in the oceans of darkness above them. Nix glanced at Zariel's countenance, seeing their sun-kissed skin, their sky blue eyes, their perfectly shaped nose, and their soft, kissable lips. Before either of them knew it, Nix was leaning onto Zariel's shoulder, viewing the majestic stars that appeared above. "A beautiful night, huh? You must like stargazing." The reaper said to Zariel. "Almost as beautiful as you." Nix blushed when she heard the celestial say that, and Zariel themselves just realized that they said that aloud and got rather flustered. 

Nix giggled and looked into Zariel's eyes. "Really? You think I'm beautiful?" She asked the flustered angel. Zariel didn't know what to do, they just said such a smooth complement without even thinking about it! Their mind was cluttered with a mix of happiness, embarrassment, and confusion. Zariel leaned in closer, and Nix took it as an attempt to share a kiss, so she slowly moved in as well. As the two were about two inches from each other's faces, Zariel felt a sharp pain in the injury in their side and pulled away from Nix, groaning in discomfort. "Zariel! What's wrong?" The reaper asked with worry in her voice, and Zariel turned their view back to Nix, "We should see Fait. Now." It was clear that rather unpleasant things were to come if they can't find a cure for the darkheart infection, so Nix helped Zariel off the roof and the duo eventually arrived at Fait's cottage.

When the two got there, Nix knocked on the door rapidly, trying to get Fait to answer the door. Soon enough, Fait opened the door to see Zariel and Nix. She was surprised to see the two at the same time, but quickly saw why they were there. "Oh my goodness! What happened to Zariel?" Fait pled in worry for the angel. Nix explained to Fait the whole story of how Zariel got injured after Fait invited the duo into her cottage. The starspeaker eased the celestial onto a spare bed that she kept in her cottage in case of situations like this one, and when Zariel finally settled down, Fait started to skim through her books, looking for the one that had the information on a cure to darkheart infections. Nix tried to comfort Zariel when Fait was looking through the books, holding their hand and giving them words of assurance. "You'll make it through this, I believe in you." Soon enough, Fait found a book that read about a special flower that contained the same celestial energy as Zariel. Fait described her idea to Nix. She was going to get one of the flowers and bring it back to the cottage, so Fait can make an antidote to the darkheart with it. Nix agreed to the plan and left after saying to Fait "Make sure Zariel stays here. We can't have them getting any worse than they are now."

Nix started to walk through the forest and looked at the map that Fait gave her, trying to find her way to where the flower grew. The forest had a conveniently carved walkway that must have been formed from the legends hiking here between battles, and a canopy of leaves formed above, splitting the dawn's light into thin rays of brightness that dotted the ground below. The whole scene felt calming, welcoming, and as if there was not a threat in this entire forest. Nix peered around, looking for the flower when rustling can be heard from the brush. Nix quickly noticed the sound and summoned her scythe out of the dark purple mist that came from her hands and prepared to defend herself. "Show yourself! I ain't scared of you!" She exclaimed to bushes, then the cause of the rustling leaves revealed herself to be none other than Ember. "Oh, hey! You must be Nix, right?" The elf said in a more upbeat tone than she was in yesterday. Ember finally reunited with the Fangwild and she was happy. Nix then realized that she was in the Fangwild, a forest known for being untamable and, well, wild. Ember tilted her head like a curious puppy and asked "Is there something on your mind?" Nix sighed, she was thinking of how stupid it was that she was, even for a second, jealous of Ember being comforted by Zariel instead of her, albeit that she didn't need comfort at the time. "I just think that, well. I was a bit jealous when you were talking with Zariel yesterday, and I wanted you to know that regret those feelings, and I'm sorry." Nix let out a breath that she didn't know that she was holding. It was nice, though, like a weight has been lifted off of her. Ember raised an eyebrow, then she cleared her throat, "Wow, I didn't know that you felt that way. I forgive you since you didn't hurt me or anything. Wait. Why would you be jealous?" Then an idea came to her attention, "Unless," she giggled, "you like Zariel, don't you?" The elf showed great giddy with her bouncing in place. The question made the reaper blush, there was no denying her feelings now.

Ember giggled childishly and said her farewell to Nix after the two ladies argued over whether or not Zariel felt the same way about Nix. The elf then whistled into the air and Ash, her loyal wolf companion, jumped out of the brushes and carried Ember off deep into the woods. That leaves Nix alone, standing in a small clearing in the middle of the Fangwild, but then she stumbles upon a glimmer between the trees. It was the flower that she was looking for! She rushed towards the flower and quickly kneeled before it, admiring its warm glow and pure white petals. Nix's gawking was halted by the sound of footsteps. She turns around to see Petra, walking slowly towards the reaper and snickering. "Well, well, well. Looks like you are trying to find a cure for my little present for Zariel?" Petra smirked. Nix glared at the delinquent, "Let me guess, you wanna fight? Of course, you want that. All you do is hurt people, Petra!" The blonde fighter guffawed, "Says the chick who kills things for a living." "I don't do the killing, I guide the souls to the afterlife. Those are two completely different things!" "Yeah, whatever. Get ready to brawl!!" Nix got her scythe out while Petra got her orb ready.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ooh, another big battle is brewing! Who will come out victorious? Will Zariel get the cure to the darkheart? Is there a reason as to why I'm asking you these questions when I'm the one writing this fic? The first two questions will be answered in the next chapter!


	6. Small Victory

Nix stood her ground as Petra dashed towards her. The reaper learned from her previous quarrel with Petra that she has exceptionally sharp reflexes that the lawbreaker used to dodge most attacks, but she has been known to get cocky and those who were wise enough were able to retaliate with their attacks. Petra swung her orb at Nix but the attack was dodged and followed by the flat part of Nix's scythe blade slamming into Petra's shoulder. The blow knocks the dark heart fighter off her feet and Nix pins her to the ground. Petra and Nix locked eyes. Nix glared down at Petra, the legend that had the audacity to exit Terminous, to enter Asgard, to threaten the safety of everyone in Valhalla, to infect Zariel with Dark heart. "Why did you have to come here and cause so much trouble?! Why?!" Nix couldn't help but shout, she had been so calm and collected for so long, it was uncertain when it would all come crashing down. Petra just laughed, and Nix looked at her confused. The outlaw then teleported out from underneath the reaper.

Nix got up and looked around. Petra was nowhere to be found. She took a deep breath and picked a petal off of the glowing flower and watched as a new petal grew in its place. Nix didn't have much time to bring the petal to Fait's cottage, since the petals of this flower quickly lose their magic after a time. She carefully put the petal in her pocket and hurried back to the cottage. When she finally got there, Fait scrambled towards Nix with urgency. "Did you get the petal?" The witch gasped. Nix nodded and handed her the petal, then Fait thanked the reaper quickly and ran back inside to make the cure before Nix had the to say "No problem." Suddenly, one of the walls of the cottage exploded, revealing the reason for Fait's distress. The Dark heart must be starting to take control of Zariel. Their hair changed from a rich dark teal to completely white, their skin took on a purple hue, a huge difference from the tanned skin they normally dawn. Their eyes were no longer that calming sky blue, but rather glowing a bright red. The halo of gold that topped their now resembled horns. Nix couldn't see for sure, but Zariel's teeth were sharper than before, now having almost animalistic canines. 

The reaper froze in fear as the corrupted celestial peered her way. They were shaking and had a grim expression on their face. "Zariel." It was all Nix could manage to say. Suddenly, the dark heart energy was starting to take control of Zariel, their teeth were bared and the fallen angel started to growl. Wings of pinkish-purple light sprouted from their back, then they bounded towards Nix, but she was able to dodge the pounce, leaving Zariel to stop themselves on a nearby tree. They then snapped out of it, looking down at their new claws. Nix cautiously walked towards Zariel to try and comfort them, then Zariel turned their gaze at Nix and sighed, "This is all my fault, if I hadn't failed in that battle against Petra, you would have already completed your mission. You should just lea-" "Zariel! Don't talk like that! I didn't go get a petal from that flower in Fangwild forest for no good reason! I got so that you will be rid of the dark heart! I did it because I care about you. I..." The two stood in silence for a while, then Fait came back outside and called, "Zariel! Nix! I finished the cure!" The pair smiled at each other, and Nix giggled a bit noticing Zariel's cheerful, toothy grin.

Fait used a wooden spoon to pour a yellow-orange liquid into a glass. The fluid had a dim, golden glow to it and Zariel looked at it with suspicion, then they felt Nix's hand on their shoulder. They peered into the reaper's comforting eyes and smiled, then turned their focus onto the glowing glass. Fait handed Zariel the glass, "Now, you have to drink this for the dark heart to be cured, but just so you know, it will make you a bit drowsy!" Fait clarified. Zariel nodded and drank the liquid, and just as Fait mentioned, Zariel started to feel sleepy. The friendly witch noticed this and suggested, "If you're tired, I have a spare bedroom that you can take a nap in! I insist! I have to leave to visit my star friends again, just to let you two know!" And just like that, she left the two alone. They both agreed to let Zariel rest for a bit since it would be unwise to fight when tired. The celestial tried to get comfortable, but their corrupted form made it difficult, so Nix made a suggestion. "Maybe I can help you settle in there somehow." Zariel tilted their head to the side like a confused puppy, "What do you suggest?"

Nix thought about it for a moment, then she asked Zariel to show her the wound they got from fighting Petra, which was already starting to heal. "That's a good sign." The reaper stated. "Maybe that torn-up shirt you're wearing is uncomfortable?" Nix's question made Zariel look down at gaping tear in the side of their garment, then look back at Nix. "Are you saying that I should take this off?" Nix felt her face quickly flush a dark pink. The thought of Zariel shirtless took the reaper off guard, she was just going to suggest that Zariel should change into something more comfortable. "I-I mean." Nix cleared her throat. "I was going to say that maybe you could change into something more comfortable?" Zariel got up with a "Very well." Then, they walked to the middle of the room, and with a flash of violet light, a set of comfy looking pajamas took the place of Zariel's battle-worn attire.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Looks like at least one thing went favorable for our duo! Let's see how the story continues, shall we?


End file.
